Improved paddle-wheel



@MTE STATES PATENT OEETCE.

THOMAS S. BIGELOW, OF LAKE MILLS, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF,

LUTHER E. PORTER, AND SAML. M. ROWE, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVED PADDLE-WHEEL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,522, dated August 11, 1863. Y

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. BIGELOW, of Lake Mills, in the county of Jefferson and State of W'isconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Paddle-Wheels for Propelling Vessels and other Appropriate Uses; and Ido hereby declare that the follow ing isa full, clear, and exact description there- 0f, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters and figures marked thereon, which forni part of this specification.

In the said drawings, which are hereunto annexed, Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of my invention. Figs. 2 Iand 3 are interior side views of the ends of the box or frame in which the wheel is placed. Fig. 4 shows a side sectional View of Fig. l at the line Fig.'5 shows the construction ot' the buckets or floats of my improved paddle-wheels. Fig. 6 shows an end view of one of said floats. Fig. 7 shows a top View of my invention in an extended or elongated form, and Fig. 8 is a side sectional view of Fig. 7 at the line x.

The nature of my invention consists in so constructing a paddle-wheel which may be employed for propelling vessels, or for any other appropriate uses, that the buckets o r floats thereof shall be kept and retained in a vertical position during the entire revolution of said wheel. so as to descend into the water and emerge from it in such a manner as to occasion the least possible loss of power, and at the same time yto cause said buckets or floats, while beneath the water and passing through it, to present the greatest possible amount of reacting surface, thus obtaining the greatest and most efficient propelling force.

To enable those skilled in the art to understand, construct, and make use of my invention, I will now proceed to describe the same particularly.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote corresponding parts of my invention.

The arrangement by which I accomplish the object of my invention-namely, secure the invariable vertical position of the floats-consists in having said iioats F provided at each end thereof with fixed shafts or journals, which are supported in bearings in two circular end pieces or frames, C-one at each end (marked f in the drawings) the ends of which are provided with antifriction-rollers C, and .on each end of said loat-sha tts are larger antifriction rollersor wheels Q', that sustain the Y chain or extension which moves around in the circular tracks or grooves (marked a and a', respectively, in Fig. 1;) but in the extended form of my invention (shown in Figs. 7 and 8) there are fixed upon the side pieces or inclosin g-frame of the wheel, in which or upon which the grooves a a. are made, a suitable shoulder, projection, or groove arranged directly beneath the straight and horizontal portions of said grooves c c and made parallel thereto, (marked b b in the drawings) upon which the rollers c c ou the ends of the prolonged floatshafts rest and roll along, the said supportingprojections thus serving to sustain the endless chain G, to which the iioats are attached, and

keep it from sagging down when passing from one drive-wheel to another,therebyvery greatly facilitating the effective and practical operation of the machine. It will be observed that the cranks or arms f are not attached to the float-v shafts at their extreme ends, but that thesaid doatshafts project out far enough beyond the point at which the arms f are attached to permit the rollers c' to be adjusted upon them, and that said rollers c may rest upon the projections b l1. These cranks may be of any suitable length, provided only that the lengths of said cranks be equal. The cranks f, at either end of the paddle-wheel, all lie parallel to each other, with their heads c in the same direction, though the cranks at opposite ends of said floats do not lie parallel to each other, and the direction in which the heads c lie at one end of said oats is nearly opposite that in which they lie at the other end thereof'.

On or in the interior surfaces of the ends of the wheel-box are arranged the aforesaid grooves cc", which control and guide the crank f. The mannerin which said grooves are arranged is clearly shown in the drawings. The diameter of said grooves is the same as the diameter of the wheel-heads C, and the center of the groove a lies a distance to the right of the crank-shaft S, to which the povver is applied, and the center ot' the groove a a distance to the left thereof equal to the length of the cranks f.

To facilitate the Working of my invention,

' thc ends c of the cranks or levers f, Which -lnove around in s aid grooves a. a', may be provided with small antifrictionrollers d d d. By this arrangement, when the power is applied to the crank S and the Wheel revolves, the crank or bent lever f, acted upon by the grooves a and ct', keeps the ioats F in a vertical position during the entire revolution.

The object of having the levers lie in dit'- ferent directions is to obviate a dead-point in the leverage which Would impede the ready operation of the invention.

Figs. l to 6 represent the parts as seen when the form of my paddle-wheel is circular, and Figs. 2 and 3 represent the ends of the paddle-boX laid flown, so as to show the arrangement and relative position with respect to the central shaft, S, of the controllinggroovesa t.

After the floats and journals, provided With the levers f, con structed as shown, are put together to form the paddle-Wheel, and said leversf are arranged parallel to each other at each end of the Wheel, as aforesaid, the exact position of the grooves a af can be determined either by measurement of the length of and observing the direction in Which said cranklevers lie, or by fastening one of said floats in a vertical position and revolving the Wheel,

-vvhen the end of said lever f would describe the position of the aforesaid groove or track.

Figs. 7 and 8 represents another, though an equivalent, form, which is an extension of the circular form. It consists in dividing the said circular grooves and connecting the semicircles by any required length of straight track or groove, so as to have any desired number of floats passing' through thewater at once to augment the propelling' force to any required degree. 4

ln Figs. 7 and 8, G represents two endless chains, formed by jointing together strips of metal or other suitable material, which are connected transversely by the shafts or rods E, Which pass through the `joints in said chain, thereby holding it together, and the ioats F, which pass through said joints in a similar manner, in the bearings of which the floats may revolve, as described hereinbefore. At each end of the track are arranged the circular heads D, fixed upon the shafts S, by Which said heads D are revolved. In the circumf'erence of said heads D are formed the notches or cogs d, the distance between'said notches being the same as the length of the joints in the aforesaid endless chain, soA t hat said rods E and the journals or shafts of the oats F enter into said notches or depressions d, and hence as the circular heads D are revolved by the shaft S the endless chains G, with the iioats F, are revolved also, and the floats are still kept in a vertical position by the said grooves a a. If desired, when the extension form is used, there may be three drive-wheels-one at each end andone at the middleand the power may be applied to one or all.

The form shown in Fig. l can readily be adapted by placing it in such a position that the shaft S` shall be longitudinal, to be used as a rudder or series of rudders for steering vessels of all kinds, as it can readily be attached to the stern of a vessel, either as above for the purpose of steering, or in its horizontal position for the purpose of propelling, the same. V

Having thus described my invention, I Will proceed to state what I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Providing the prolonged float-shafts and the arms f with the antifrictionrollers o c', when used in combination With the grooves a a and the projections or grooves b` 1)', arranged and operating as and for the purposes herein shown and described.

2. The combination and the arrangement of the frame U, the iloats F, provided With Xed and prolonged shafts, as shown, the arms f, and the antifrictionrollers 0 c', with the outer frame, A Af, provided With the peculiarly-arranged circular grooves a a', all operating substantially as and for the purposes shown and specified.

3. The combination and arrangement of the floats F, provided with the prolonged fixed shafts, as shown and. described, the arms f, the antifriction rollers c c', the endless chain G, and drive-wheels D D, with the grooves a a', and projections or grooves b b', as and for the purposes herein delineated and set forth.

THOMAS S. BIGELOW.

Witnesses:

G. W. BISHOP, E. E. BIGnLoW. 

